External member for home appliances having light transmitting through-holes and manufacturing method therefor

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to an external member for home appliances and a manufacturing method therefor. The external member has through-holes in a metal layer for transmitting light emitted from a light source, such as a light-emitting device mounted rear of the external member, are not exposed to the outside by a film layer attached to a front surface of the metal layer when the light-emitting device is turned off. The external member for home appliances can provides appearance of home appliances with improved luxuriousness and aesthetic sensibility.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 15/763,069, filed onMar. 23, 2018, which is a National Stage application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application No. PCT/KR2016/009953, filed Sep. 6,2016, which claims the benefit of Korean Application No.10-2016-0096322, filed on Jul. 28, 2016, Korean Application No.10-2015-0144990, filed on Oct. 16, 2015, Korean Application No.10-2015-0140035, filed Oct. 5, 2015, and Korean Application No.10-2015-0137132, filed on Sep. 25, 2015. The disclosures of the priorapplications are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an external member for home appliancesand a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to anexternal member in order for home appliances not to be exposed to theoutside when the display part of displaying operation information of thehome appliance does not display operation information and a method ofmanufacturing the same.

BACKGROUND

Generally, a home appliance is provided with a display assembly fordisplaying an operating state of home appliance. The display assemblymay display every kind of information according to the operation of thehome appliance in the form of numbers, letters, symbols, or pictures.Accordingly, a user can check the information output through the displayassembly to determine the operating state of the home appliance, andperform an operation for operating the home appliance.

In recent home appliance, an external member is made of a metal materialto make the appearance more luxurious, or an external member of amaterial coated so that the appearance has a texture such as the steelis used, and the external member is provided with the display such asabove, thereby displaying the operation of the home appliance to theoutside.

Korean Laid-Open Patent No. 10-2014-0121753 discloses a refrigeratorhaving a display unit on a rear surface of a front surface of arefrigerator door and making the display part of the display unit beseen for the user through the plurality of the through-holes formed onthe front surface. Also, the through-hole is formed through an etchingor a laser drilling so as to be formed to a fine size.

However, the through-hole may be identified to the outside even if thehole is processed to a fine size, and, in particular, when the displaypart is viewed closely, the through-hole which thee light does not passthrough is visible, there is a problem which is poor in the appearance.

Particularly, a variation of the hole size may occur even if the hole isprocessed to a fine size, and thus there is a problem of causing thedissatisfaction of the user due to the variation of such hole size.

In addition, even if the hole filling processing is performed inside thethrough-hole, a concavo-convex shape may be formed on the front surfacepart, so that there is a problem that a foreign substance may be adheredor contaminated.

SUMMARY

According to the above technical background, the present invention is toprovide the external member for home appliances which the through-holearranged on the metal layer when the light-emitting device is turnedoff, is not exposed to the outside by arranging the plurality ofthrough-holes penetrating the metal layer to the external member used asthe front surface panel which implements the front surface appearance ofthe home appliance and attaching the film layer implementing the coloror the texture of the front surface appearance of the home appliance onthe front surface of the metal layer, and a method of manufacturing thesame.

In addition, the present invention is to provide the external member forhome appliances which is possible to improve the quality of operationalinformation which is displayed through the through-hole when thelight-emitting device is turned on, by adopting the structure of thethrough-hole which can reduce the influence such as the process errorand a variation generated when forming the through-hole on the metallayer and a method of manufacturing the same.

In order to address the above-mentioned technical problem, according toan aspect of the present invention, there is provided an external memberfor home appliance including: a film layer that implements a color or atexture of a front surface of a home appliance; a metal layer which isattached to the rear surface of the film layer and covers the displayassembly with the plurality of the light-emitting members arranged.

At this time, the metal layer includes a through-hole of penetrating themetal layer in a predetermined area corresponding to the plurality oflight-emitting devices arranged to the display assembly and having awidth of the front surface opening formed on the front surface of themetal layer is smaller than that of the rear surface opening formed onthe rear surface of the metal layer and a light-transmitting ink layerfilling the through-hole.

As the through-hole penetrating the metal layer has a width of the frontsurface opening is smaller than that of the rear surface of the openingand the opening of the front surface is not correctly coincides withthat of the rear surface of the through-hole, it may prevent from lightbeing emitted in a different shape from that of the front opening orlight being emitted irregularly, viewed from the outside.

Further, for example, the through-hole through the metal layer has atapered shape or a stepped shape in which the width is narrower from therear to the front of the metal layer, so that light transmitting inklayer is less affected by the viscosity of the ink when filling thethrough-hole, the ink layer of the light-transmitting ink layer may beeffectively filled without forming the empty space in the through-hole.

In an exemplary implementation, the ink layer may be printed to beprotruded from the rear opening of the through-hole by a predeterminedheight. Further, in another implementation, the ink layer may be printedso as to cover a particularregion of the rear surface of the metal layeras well asfilling the through-holes. As described above, as the inklayer is provided be protruded from the opening of the rear opening ofat least through-hole, it is possible to prevent the light-transmittingquality from being degraded by the incompletely filled ink layer in thethrough-hole while it is possible to perform the guide function of lighttransmitted toward the through-hole from the light-transmitting element.

According to another aspect of the present invention for reducing theinfluence such as the process error and a variation generated whenforming the through-hole in the metal layer, there is provided a methodof manufacturing the external member for home appliance, including thestep of forming a plurality of through-holes which the width of thefront surface opening formed on the front surface of the metal layer issmaller than that of the rear opening formed on the rear surface of themetal layer by injecting the etching liquid into the rear surface of themetal layer when forming the through-hole on the metal layer.

At this time, by adjusting the injection concentration, the injectionspeed, and the injection time, etc. of the etching liquid injected tothe rear surface of the metal layer, the through-hole penetrating themetal layer has a tapered or a stepped shape in which the width isnarrower from the rear surface to the front surface of the metal layer.

According to the present invention, the front surface of the metal layercovering the display assembly arranged with the plurality oflight-emitting devices by the film layer implementing the color or thetexture of the front surface of the home appliance is covered. Here, theplurality of through-holes (particularly, the front surface opening ofthe trough-hole) arranged on the predetermined region of the metal layermay be invisible by the film layer in order to transmit light emittedfrom the light-emitting device.

Accordingly, although light emitted from the light-emitting device whenthe light-emitting element is turned on sequentially passes through theink layer filling the through-hole and the film layer, therebydisplaying operation information of the home appliance on the frontsurface of the electric appliance, when the light-emitting device isturned off, the front surface opening of the through-hole is not exposedto the outside. Through this, it is possible to implement the appearanceof a more luxurious and aesthetic sensibility.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent thedamage of the film layer attached to the entire surface of the metallayer by using an etching liquid of a ferric chloride component thatselectively reacts with the metal layer in the etching process offorming the through-hole in the metal layer. Accordingly, there is abenefit that it is possible to perform a process of directly forming athrough-hole in a metal layer to which a film layer is attached withoutattaching the film layer thereon after forming the through-hole to themetal layer.

In addition, in general, a metal layer for use as an external member forhome appliances is provided with a state which the film layer isattached on the front side and a back coating layer on the rear surfacein order to prevent a contamination such as a corrosion of the metallayer. At this time, there is a benefit that the operation such as theseparate film laminating process or the development, etc. is not need tobe performed by marking the position which the back coating layer isformed with the through-hole when performing the etching process offorming the through-hole from the rear surface of the metal layer.Accordingly, the manufacturing cost can be lowered by improving aworkability and a productivity

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator used with the external member(the front panel) for home appliances in accordance with an exemplaryimplementation of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerator door in a state inwhich the display part shown in FIG. 1 is turned on.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are a top view showing a state in which the display partof the refrigerator door shown in FIG. 1 turn off (FIG. 3A) and turn on(FIG. 3B).

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the refrigerator door shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a installation structureof a display assembly in the refrigerator door shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view separated with the front panel ofthe refrigerator door shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a coupling structure of atouch sensor assembly, a display cover, a display assembly, a framedisplay, and a frame In accordance with an exemplary implementation ofthe present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator door taken alongthe cutting line 12-12′ of FIG. 2 and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional viewshown by enlarging the region A of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing arelationship between the external member (the front surface panel) forhome appliances, the display cover, and the display assembly inaccordance with an exemplary implementation of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the external member (the frontpanel) for home appliances in accordance with an exemplaryimplementation of the present invention cut along the cutting line 8-8′in FIG. 4, and FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are cross-sectional views of theexternal member (the front surface panel) for home appliances accordingto the exemplary implementation of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an ink layeris filled in the external member (the front panel) for home appliancesshown in FIG. 11 in accordance with an exemplary implementation of thepresent invention and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a statein which the ink layer is filled in the external member (the frontsurface panel) shown in FIG. 11 according to other implementation of thepresent invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the displaycover and the display assembly in accordance with an exemplaryimplementation of the present invention are coupled.

FIGS. 17 to 19 are the cross-sectional views showing a state in whichthe external member (the front panel) for home appliances, the displaycover, and the display assembly according to various implementations ofthe present invention are coupled.

FIG. 20 is a cut-away perspective view of an external member (the frontpanel) for home appliances in accordance with an exemplaryimplementation of the present invention.

FIGS. 21 and 22 are the cross-sectional views of the film layer of FIG.20.

FIGS. 23 and 24 show a sequence of the method of manufacturing anexternal member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordance withan exemplary implementation of the present invention.

FIGS. 25 to 27 show the step of printing the ink layer on thethrough-hole formed in the metal layer.

FIG. 28 is an enlarged view showing the relationship between the mesh ofthe plate making used in printing the ink layer and the through-holeformed in the metal layer.

FIGS. 29 and 30 show a sequence of the method of manufacturing theexternal member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordance withanother implementation of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is an exploded perspective view of an air conditioner used withthe external member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordancewith an exemplary implementation of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is an exploded perspective view of a washing machine used withthe external member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordancewith an exemplary implementation of the present invention.

FIG. 33 is an exploded perspective view of a dish washer used with theexternal member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordance withan exemplary implementation of the present invention.

FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of a cooking appliance used withthe external member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordancewith an exemplary implementation of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, the external member for home appliances according to thepreferred implementations of the present invention and the method ofmanufacturing the same will be described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings herein.

It is to be understood that the external member for home appliancesherein is a member which forms the appearance of the home appliance andhas the same meaning as the front surface panel. Therefore, in thefollowing description, the external member and the front panel for homeappliances may be used mixed to describe the present invention asnecessary, but this is merely for convenience of the description andrefer to the same member.

In addition, the steel plate herein is the metal plate of providing arigidity to the external member for home appliances and is referred toas the steel plate or the metal plate hereinafter. However, the steelsheet may be referred to as a VCM steel plate or a PCM steel plate inwhich a film layer is attached to the front surface of the metal plate.

The present invention is not limited to the disclosed implementationsbelow, but may be embodied in many different forms and the presentimplementations are provided to make the disclosure of the presentinvention complete and to indicate the scope of the invention completelyfor a person having an ordinary skill in the art.

In addition, various implementations with regard to the external memberfor home appliances disclosed below will be described by way of examplefor being mounted on the door of the refrigerator for convenience of anexplanation and understanding, but the present invention is applicableto various home appliances which the external member described below isapplicable.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the refrigerator used with the external member(the front panel) for home appliances in accordance with an exemplaryimplementation of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an external shape of the refrigerator 1 is formedby a cabinet forming a storage space and a refrigerator door 10installed in a cabinet to open and close an internal storage space.Here, the refrigerator door 10 is provided using the external memberthat implements the color or texture of the appearance of therefrigerator 1.

The internal storage space may be divided into left and right sidesand/or upper and lower parts as necessary, and a plurality ofrefrigerator doors 10 to open and close the respective space may beprovided on the opened front surface of the storage space. Therefrigerator door 10 is configured to open and close the storage spaceby sliding or rotating, and is configured to form the front surface ofthe refrigerator 1 in a closed state.

The display part 11 and the touch operation part 12 are provided oneside of the refrigerator door 10 of the plurality of the refrigeratordoor 10 (two doors in FIG. 1) at the height which the operation and theidentification of the user is easy

The display part 11 is a region for externally showing the operatingstate of the refrigerator 1 (for example, a temperature, a humidity, anoperation mode, etc.). The display part 11 transmits light transmittedfrom the inside to the outside of the refrigerator door 10 and isdisplayed as the symbols or the numbers, and the user can check theoperating state of the refrigerator through the information displayed onthe display part 11.

In addition, according to the present invention, when light is nottransmitted from the inside to the outside of the refrigerator door 10,the display part 11 can be invisible from the outside of therefrigerator 1 as shown in FIG. 1. That is, when the display part 11does not need to display any operating state of the refrigerator 1, thedisplay part 11 can be configured to be invisible from the outside ofthe refrigerator 1. As a result, the refrigerator 1 looks like therefrigerator 1 does not include any elements to display operating stateof the refrigerator 1.

The touch operation part 12 is a part operated by a touch. For example,a switch or a button can be used to confirm an operation state of therefrigerator 1 or to change the operation state.

The touch operation part 12 is provided at a portion of the frontsurface of the refrigerator door 10. A portion of the touch operationpart 12 that detects touch input can be printed or etched.

In some implementations, the touch operation part 12 may be provided ina refrigerator door other than the refrigerator door 10 that includesthe display part 11. In some implementations, the touch operation part12 may be provided in the cabinet.

In some implementations, the touch operation part 12 may be invisiblefrom the outside of the refrigerator 1 when light is not transmittedfrom the inside to the outside of the refrigerator door 10 through thedisplay part 11.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerator door in a state inwhich the display unit shown in FIG. 1 is turned on, and FIGS. 3A and 3Bare a top view showing a state in which the display part of therefrigerator door shown in FIG. 1 turn off (FIG. 3A) and turn on (FIG.3B).

Referring to FIG. 2, the front appearance of the refrigerator door 10 isformed with the external member 20 as a whole.

The entire appearance of the refrigerator door 10 is formed by thecombination of the external member 20 that forms the appearance (thecolor, the texture, etc.) of the front surface, a door liner 30 thatforms a rear appearance, and a decorative member 40,43 provided at theupper and lower ends of the refrigerator door 10.

More specifically, the external member 20 defines the front appearanceof the refrigerator door 10, and may further include the entire frontsurface of the refrigerator door 10, as well as at least one side of therefrigerator door 10. In addition, the external member 20 can include afront panel that can prevent a fingerprint. In some implementations, theexternal member 20 can include a front panel that has a particularpattern or design. For example, the external member 20 can have brushedmetal patterns.

The display part 11 may be defined by a plurality of through-holes 21formed in a particular region of the external member 20. The displaypart 11 may include a set of a plurality of through-holes 21 perforatedin a predetermined arrangement to indicate letters, numbers, figures, orsymbols (hereinafter, referred to as “segments”). For example, as shownin FIG. 2, the set of the plurality of through-holes 21 may be arrangedin the shape of the number “4.” As another example, as show in FIGS. 3Aand 3B, the plurality of through-holes 21 may be arranged to indicate aspecific symbol, a form of the shape, or a letter to provide informationabout the state of the refrigerator 1.

The display part 11 can display the segments when light is transmittedfrom the inside to the outside of the external member 20 through thethrough-hole 21.

The plurality of through-holes 21 form one unit set and they may bearranged such that one unit set including the plurality of through-holes21 shapes one segment or the plurality of units shape a segment (forexample, 4 unit sets shape each side of the square).

In addition, light of the light-emitting device mounted on the inside ofthe external member 20 is emitted by irradiating light toward the unitset of the corresponding the through-holes 21 through the plurality ofthrough-holes 21 forming one unit set. At least of the light-emittingdevice arranged inside the external member 20 may be arranged at theposition corresponding to one unit set including the plurality ofthrough-holes 21. As the number of the light-emitting device arrangedper one unit set increases, the brightness of the segment displayed byturn-on of the light-emitting device may be improved.

In addition, when one unit set including the plurality of through-holes21 shapes one segment as a whole, it may be preferable that the numberof the light-emitting elements arranged per one unit set is arranged inplural to implement a sufficient brightness of the segments. However,when the plurality of unit sets shape one segment (for example, fourunit sets shape each side of a square), a region occupied by one segmentis smaller than the case which one unit set shapes one segment as awhole, and thus, the number of the light-emitting device arranged perone unit set may be sufficient even with one.

The through-hole 21 is formed by etching processing on the rear surfaceof the external member 20 and the open front surface (i.e., the frontopening) of the through-hole 21 is shielded by the film layer of formingthe surface of the external member 20.

Here, the film layer is configured to transmit light as well as defininga color or a texture of the front surface of the refrigerator 1.Therefore, since the inside of the external member 20 is relativelydarker than the outside in a state the light-emitting device of theexternal member 20 is turned on, the through-hole 21 becomes invisible.In particular, when the color of the film layer is rather high, or thefilm layer includes a thin metal film layer, the through-hole 21 may beeffectively invisible.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3A, the through-hole 21 to form a displaypart 11, when of the light-emitting device is turned off, is invisiblefrom the outside. Therefore, it has an appearance which may be felt asnot existing the through-hole 21 in the external member 20.

When the user touches the touch operation part 12 in such state, or whenthe light-emitting device mounted on the inside of the external member20, by which action that is already set up, is turned on, light emittedfrom the light-emitting device is transmitted through the through-hole21 and is discharged to the outside.

At this time, the segment arranged on the upper part of thelight-emitting device which is turned on according to the selectiveturn-on and the turn-off, and the segment arranged on the upper part ofthe turn-off light-emitting device is not displayed, thereby displayingthe specific segment.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, information according to a set ofsegments such as 4, −12° C. can be displayed by the selective turn onand turn off the light-emitting device. That is, a good effect that onlya specific segment is displayed on the refrigerator door 10 in a statein which a separate display is not visible on the front surface of therefrigerator door 10 can be obtained.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the refrigerator door shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 4, the external member 20 may be formed in a plate typeand may be bent to implement at least a part of the sides of therefrigerator door 10. In addition, since the external member 20 formsthe appearance of the refrigerator door 10, it is preferable that is isformed to have a sufficient thickness to ensure a sufficient strength.The front surface of the external member 20 is positioned with the filmlayer of implementing the color or texture of the appearance of the homeappliance and the rear surface of the external member 20 is positionedwith the steel plate that shows the overall shape of the refrigeratordoor 10 and provides rigidity of the refrigerator door 10. The rearsurface of the steel plate may be provided with a back coating layer 232to prevent a contamination such as a corrosion of the steel sheet.

The display part 11 of the external member 20 is provided with theplurality of through-holes 21 and the empty space formed by thethrough-hole 21 is filled with the ink layer 22. The ink layer 22 may beformed on the rear surface corresponding to the display part 11 of theexternal member by a screen printing method, etc. When the back coatinglayer 232 is provided on the back surface of the external member 20, therear coating layer 232 is removed only in the region corresponding tothe display part 11, and the ink layer 22 may be printed at the regionremoved with the back coating layer 232.

Although the ink layer 22 may be printed to fill only the empty spaceformed by the through-hole 21, is the ink layer 22 can be printed to beprotruded from the rear openings of the through-holes 21 by apredetermined height. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the ink layer 22may be provided to cover a portion of the rear surface of the externalmember 20 as well as filling the through-hole 21.

That is, it is possible to prevent the ink layer 22 from being filledincompletely in the through-hole 21, by having the ink layer 22 to beprotruded from the rear surface opening of the through-hole 21 by apredetermined height as well as covering a region of the rear surfacesof the external member 20.

Particularly, even when the inner circumferential surface or the rearsurface opening of the through-hole 21 is not smoothly etched in theetching process for forming the through-hole 21, since the ink layer 22can be over-filled, it may prevent the quality of light transmittingquality from being degraded by the ink layer 22 which fills thethrough-hole 21 incompletely.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the installed structureof the display assembly in the refrigerator door shown in FIG. 2, andFIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view separated with the front panel ofthe refrigerator door shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the door liner 30 forming the rear surfaceof the refrigerator door 10 is coupled with the external member 20 andforms a surface facing inside the storage space. The door liner 30 maybe injection molded with a plastic material and may provide a structurein which a gasket may be arranged along the periphery, or a basket, etc.In addition, the door liner 30 forms a space between the door liner 30and the external member 20 when the door liner 30 is coupled with theexternal member 20. In this example, the foamed member forming aninsulation material 24 may be filled in the space.

The frame 100 may be attached to the rear surface of the external member20. The frame 100 provides a separate space inside the refrigerator door10 which the foaming liquid is not filled and provides the spacereceiving the display cover 200, the display assembly 300, the touchsensor assembly 500, and the frame display 400, etc.

The decorative members 40, 43 form the upper and lower appearances ofthe refrigerator door 10 respectively and are coupled to the upper andlower parts or the upper and the lower parts and the side of therefrigerator 10, after the coupling of the door liner 30 with theexternal member 20, thereby shielding the inner space of therefrigerator door 10.

The decorative member 40 at the upper end of the refrigerator door 10among the decorative members 40 and 43 is provided with an insertionpart 41 and an insertion part cover 42 for opening and closing theinsertion part 41. The insertion part 41 penetrates through thedecorative member 40 and communicates with the space formed by the frame100. In addition, the display assembly 300 can be inserted inside theframe 100 through the insertion part 41 while being coupled to the framedisplay 400 when the refrigerator door 10 is assembled. For this, theinsertion part 41 is formed in a size that the frame display 400 canpass through, and can be positioned vertically upper part the displaycover 200.

On the other hand, a hinge hole is formed on one side of the decorativemember 40, which a hinge as a rotation axis of the refrigerator door 10is installed. In addition, a wire guided to the inside of the frame 100through the hinge hole is inserted to supply the power to the electroniccomponents arranged inside the frame 10 or to transmit and receive anoperation signal.

The decorative member 43 of the lower part of the refrigerator door 10may be provided with a door handle 44. The door handle 44 is depressedin the form of a pocket so that it is configured to rotation operate therefrigerator door 10. In addition, the decorative member 43 of the lowerpart of the refrigerator door 10 is further provided with a lever 45 foropening and closing operations of the refrigerator door 10, and a latchassembly 31 is driven by the operation of the lever 45, thereby openingor closing the refrigerator door 10.

A display cover 200 is attached to the rear surface of the externalmember 20. The display cover 200 is for guiding the installation of thedisplay assembly 300 on which the plurality of light-emitting devicesare mounted and may be attached to the rear surface of the externalmember 20 by the adhesive layer 25. On one side of the display cover200, a touch sensor assembly 500 capable of sensing a press operation ofthe external member 20 by the user installed. The display cover 200 hasa structure that can be attached to the external member 20 while beingcoupled with the touch sensor assembly 500.

Further, the display assembly 300 can be inserted into the space insidethe frame 100 through the insertion part 41 while being installed at theframe display 400. The display assembly 300 is positioned inside thedisplay cover 200 in a state in which the frame display 400 is fullyinserted and light emitted by the turn-on of the light-emitting devicepasses through the display cover 200 and the through-hole 21 of thedisplay part 11 to be discharged to the outside.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a coupled structure ofthe touch sensor assembly, the display cover, the display assembly, theframe display, and the frame.

Referring to FIG. 7, the frame 100 is formed so that the front surfaceand upper surface are opened, and forms a space 110 having an openedupper surface when attached to the external member 20. For this, theperiphery of the frame 100 except the upper part is bent toward theexternal member 20, and the ends thereof is bent outwardly to form theframe adhesion part 120. The frame adhesion part 120 is provided with adouble-sided tape or an adhesive so that the frame 100 can be attachedto the rear surface of the external member 20.

The upper part contacts with one surface of the decorative member 40 ina state which the frame is attached to the external member 20. Theopened upper surface of the frame 100 may be communicated with theinsertion part 41 and forms an independent space inside the refrigeratordoor 10. Accordingly, even when the foaming liquid for forming theinsulating material 24 is injected into inside the refrigerator door 10,the foaming liquid does not flow into the space inside the frame 100.

In addition, the plate supporting part 140 on which the support plate141 is seated are provided on both sides of the upper part of the frame100. The support plate 141 is installed on the upper part of the displaycover 200 in a state which the display cover 200 is installed to supportthe external member 20 from the rear. Accordingly, the shape of theexternal member 20 can be prevented from being deformed by an externalimpact, etc.

A wire entrance part 150 is provided at the upper side of the frame 100.The wire entrance part 150 forms a passage through the wire connectingthe electronic components provided inside the frame 100 and the powerpart on the cabinet enter and exit. The wire entrance 150 may be formedat the region adjacent to the hinge of the refrigerator door 10 and maybe arranged adjacent to the hinge hole of the refrigerator door 10.

On both right and left sides of the frame 100, a confined groove 160 isprovided. The confined groove 160 is provided such that a confined part230 is protruded from both ends of the display cover 200.

A cover supporting part 170 for supporting the display cover 200 isprovided at a position where the display cover 200 is positioned at thelower part of the confined groove 160. The cover supporting part 170protrude from both left and right sides of the frame 100 to press andsupport both side ends of the display cover 200 from the rear.

The display cover 200 is formed of a plate type plastic material and isprovided to be received inside the frame 100 in a state of beingattached to the external member 20. In addition, a confined part 230protruding outwardly and inserted into the confined grooved 160 isprovided at the upper part of both side ends of the display cover 200.In addition, the display cover 200 further includes a receiving part 210to which the touch sensor assembly 500 is installed.

The display cover 200 includes a plurality of guide holes 220 atpositions corresponding to the display part 11. The guide hole 220 isprovided at a position corresponding to the through-hole 21 when thedisplay cover 200 is attached to the rear surface of the external member20. That is, the display cover 200 is arranged with the plurality ofguide holes 220 of guiding light penetrating the display cover 200 atthe predetermined region corresponding to the plurality of thelight-emitting device arranged at the display assembly 300 and emittedfrom the light-emitting device, to the through-hole or the unit set (thesegment) including the plurality of the through-holes 21.

The guide hole 220 communicates the light-emitting device with thethrough-hole 21 to guide light emitted from the at least onelight-emitting device arranged in the display assembly 300 into asegment and the guide hole 220 may be formed with the shapecorresponding to the segment.

The display assembly 300 includes a substrate 310 on which a pluralityof light-emitting devices are mounted and a reflector 320 arranged on afront surface of the substrate 310. The substrate 310 includes a controlpart for driving a plurality of light-emitting devices, and a sensorcontrol part for the driving the touch sensor assembly 500 is mounted.The sensor control part processes an operation signal of the externalmember 20 sensed through the touch sensor assembly 500 on the substrate310. For this, the substrate 310 and the sensor PCB (not shown) insidethe touch sensor assembly 500 are connected to through connection meanssuch as a cable connector 600.

The cable connector 600 includes a first cable connector 610 connectedto the sensor PCB inside the touch sensor assembly 500 and a secondcable connector 620 connected to the substrate 310. The first cableconnector 610 and the second cable connector 620 may be connected toeach other. In addition, The first cable connector 610 and the secondcable connector 620 may be connected to each other from the outside therefrigerator door 10 in the process of installing the display assembly300 on the refrigerator door 10. The overall length of the cableconnector 600 is formed to be longer than the distance from the touchsensor assembly 500 to the insertion part 41 to install the displayassembly 300 after connecting to each other from the outside theinsertion part 41 in a state which the touch sensor assembly 50 isinstalled at the display cover.

The front surface of the substrate 310 is provided with the reflector320 for guiding light emitted from the light-emitting device towards theguide hole 220 of the display cover 200 and the through-hole 21 of theexternal member 20. The reflector 320 not only guides light emitted fromthe light-emitting device but also make the substrate 310 and thedisplay terminal 311 to be spaced apart from the external member 20 bythe thickness of the reflector 320 itself. Accordingly, it is possibleto prevent the substrate and the various electronic components mountedon the substrate 310 from being damaged by a static electricitygenerated from the outside.

Particularly, when the external member 20 is formed of the stainlesssteel material and the display assembly 300 is arranged adjacent to thedisplay part 11, the static electricity can be easily generated duringuse of the home appliance. Thus, when the substrate 310 and the externalmember 20 are structurally spaced apart by the reflector 320, theprotection of the substrate 310 can be promoted. In addition, thereflector 320 may be formed of a light reflective material or may becoated with a light reflective material at least on its innercircumferential surface to reflect light emitted in various directionsfrom light reflective element, such that it is not lost while reachingthe guide hole 20 of at least the display cover.

The reflector is provided with the auxiliary through-hole 321corresponding to the position of the light-emitting device mounted onthe substrate 310 which can communicate with the guide hole 220 of thecover 200 and the through-hole 21 of the external 20. The frame display400 is installed on the display cover 200 in a state the displayassembly 300 is installed and the through-hole 21, the guide hole 220and the auxiliary through-hole 321 are closely attached without spacedso that they have a structure communicating to each other. Accordingly,light emitted from the light-emitting device can be emitted to theoutside without being lost from inside the external member (20).

The frame display 400 is provided with a edge 410 which has the platetype structure for installing the substrate 310 and bent forward alongthe periphery of the frame display 400, and forms a space which thesubstrate 310 is received. Both side ends of the frame display 400 arealso provided with a sliding insertion part 415 which is bent in alateral direction and is inserted inward a guide rails 240 provided onthe display cover 200. Accordingly, the frame display 400 is installedon the display cover 200 by the sliding insertion part.

In addition, a frame handle 420 which extends upwardly is provided at acenter part of the upper end of the frame display 400. The frame handle420 is a part for the user to grab and operate when the frame display400 is coupled to the display cover 200 and has an appropriate lengthfor the user to grip. When the insertion part cover 42 is closed in astate which the frame display 400 is fully inserted, the insertion partcover 42 contacts with the frame handle 420.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator door cut along acutting line 12-12′ of FIG. 2 and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view shownby enlarging region A of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is an exploded perspectiveview schematically showing the relationship of the external member forhome appliances, the display cover, and the display assembly inaccordance with an exemplary implementation of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, the through-hole 21 and the guide hole 220have the structure communicated with each other in a state which thedisplay cover 200 is attached to the rear surface of the external member20 by the adhesive member 25. Here, the guide hole 220 serves to guidelight emitted from the light-emitting device 313 to the through-hole 21.At this time, the size of the through-hole 21 is formed to be smallerthan that of the guide hole 220 so that the plurality of through-holes21 are arranged inside region of one guide hole 220, and the pluralityof through-holes 21 arranged in the inner region of one guide holes 220may form one segment. Accordingly, when the light-emitting device 313arranged on the rear surface of the guide hole 220 is turned on, theguide hole 220 guides uniformly light emitted from the light-emittingdevice 313 into the plurality of through-holes 21 forming one segment,the segment displayed on the external member 20 may improve the displayquality

The auxiliary through-hole 321 is communicated such that the guide hole220 each other in a state which the frame display 400 is completelyinserted and the display assembly 300 is positioned inside the displaycover 200. Preferably, the guide hole 220 and the auxiliary through-hole321 are formed to have the same size and the reflector 320 is closelyattached to the rear surface of the display cover 200 so that the guidehole 220 and the auxiliary through-hole 321 are completely overlappedwith each other.

Accordingly, the auxiliary through-hole 321, the guide hole 220, and atleast one, and preferably, a plurality of the through-holes 21 are allcommunicated with closely contacted. Light emitted from thelight-emitting device 313 passes through the auxiliary through-hole 321,the guide hole 220, and the through-hole 21 sequentially in a statewhich light loss is minimized, and is discharged to the outside therefrigerator door 10.

According to another variation of the invention, it is also possible forthe external member 20 to be attached to the front face of the reflector320 by replacing the role of the display cover 200 by the reflector 320of the display assembly 300. At this time, an insulating layer may befurther provided between the external member 20 and the reflector 320 toprevent the static electricity from being generated between the externalmember 20 and the reflector 320.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an external member (the frontpanel) for home appliances in accordance with an exemplaryimplementation of the present invention cut along the cutting line 8-8′in FIG. 4, and FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are the cross-sectional views of theexternal member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordance withanother implementation of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 11 to 13, a metal layer 231 is provided with theplurality of through-holes 21 at the predetermined region correspondingto the plurality of the light-emitting device arranged to the displayassembly positioned at the rear surface of the metal layer 231, in thesteel plate 23 attached with the film layer 235 implementing the coloror the texture of the front appearance of the home appliance at thefront surface of the metal layer 231.

At this time, the distance d1 between the front openings of twoneighboring through-holes 21 from each other can be secured to be atleast 0.1 mm or more, preferably 0.2 mm or more, and more preferably 0.3mm to 1.0 mm. Here, it is preferable that the thickness 11 of the metallayer 231 is 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm in consideration of the accuracy, etc. inthe etching process for forming the through-hole 21.

When the distance d1 between the front openings of two neighboringthrough-holes 21 from each other is less than 0.2 mm, the distance d1between the front openings is too close and light is discharged from theoutside through the two through-holes 21, there is a problem that thedistinction between the two through-holes 21 may become unclear. Inaddition, since the distance d1 between the front openings is toonarrow, the defects may occur in which two neighboring through-holes 21are connected to each other in the process of forming the through-holes21. On the other hand, when the distance d1 between the front openingsof the two neighboring through-holes 21 from each other exceeds 0.7 mm,the distance between the two through-holes 21 is too large, there is aproblem that the quality of the segment displayed by the through-hole 21is degraded.

In addition, the distance d2 between the rear openings of the twoneighboring through-holes 21 from each other can be secured to be atleast 0.01 mm or more, preferably 0.05 mm or more to 0.5 mm.

When the distance d2 between the rear openings of two neighboringthrough-holes 21 from each other is less than 0.05 mm, the distance d2between the rear openings is too narrow. Therefore, in the process offorming the through-holes 21, the defect which two neighboringthrough-holes 21 from each other are connected to each other. On theother hand, when the distance d2 between the rear openings of twothrough-holes 21 neighboring to each other exceeds 0.5 mm, in order tosecure the proper distance d1 between the front openings of the twothrough-holes 21, there is a problem in that the size of thethrough-hole 21 becomes unnecessarily large.

In addition, according to the present invention, the through-hole 21 isformed by penetrating the metal layer 231 such that the width of thefront surface opening formed on the front surface of the metal layer 231is different from that of the rear surface opening formed on the rearsurface of the metal layer 231.

At this time, it is preferable that the width d3 of the front openingformed on the front surface of the metal layer 231 is smaller than thatof the width d4 of the rear surface opening formed on the rear openingof the metal layer 231. Here, the width d3 of the front surface openingformed on the front surface 231 may be 0.2 mm to 0.6 mm, and the widthd4 of the rear opening formed on the rear surface of the metal layer 231may be 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm.

As the through-hole 21 penetrating through the metal layer 231 is formedto have the width d3 of the front opening smaller than the width d4 ofthe rear opening, the front opening and the rear opening of thethrough-hole 21 do not exactly coincide with each other. Accordingly,when viewed from the outside, it can prevent light from being emitted ina different form from the shape of the front opening or light from beingemitted irregularly.

In addition, the through-hole 21 penetrating the metal layer 231 mayhave a tapered shape or a stepped shape in which the width is narrowerfrom the rear surface to the front surface of the metal layer 231.According to another variation, the through-hole 21 verticallypenetrates the metal layer 231, and as the width of the through-hole 21is narrower in the region adjacent to the film layer 235, consequently,it may have the shape which the width of the front opening formed on thefront surface of the metal layer 235 is smaller than that of the openingformed on the rear surface of the metal layer. As such, the width of thethrough-hole 21 is not constant along the thickness direction of themetal layer 231 and the width of the opening formed on the front surfaceis smaller than that of the rear surface of the metal layer 231, andthus, the permeable ink layer 22 can be effectively filled withoutforming an empty space in the through-hole 21 by the ink layer 22because the ink layer 22 is less influenced by the viscosity of the inklayer 22 when filling the through-hole 21. In addition, by increasingthe inner circumferential surface of the through-hole and the contactarea of the ink layer 22 compared to the case that the through-hole 21penetrates the metal layer 231 vertically and increases the frictionbetween the through hole 21 and the ink layer 22, and accordingly, it ispossible to prevent the problem which the ink layer 22 is leaked ordeviated from the through-hole.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an ink layeris filled in the external member (the front panel) for home appliancesshown in FIG. 11 in accordance with an exemplary implementation of thepresent invention, and FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a statewhich the ink layer is filled at the external member (the front panel)for home appliances show in FIG. 11 in accordance with an exemplaryimplementation of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, the ink layer 22 may be printed to beprotruded from the rear opening of the through-hole 21 by apredetermined height 12. Further, in another implementation, the inklayer 22 may be printed to cover a particular part of the rear surfaceof the metal layer 231 while filling the through-hole 21. At this time,the ink layer 22 has a convex shape from the rear surface of the metallayer 231 so that it may reduce that the ink layer 22 is leaked ordeviated from the through-hole 21 by the contact or the friction of theink layer 22 and other member. In particular, since the ink layer 22covers the particularregion of the rear surfaces of the metal layer 231simultaneously, the contact area with the metal layer is increased,thereby supporting the ink layer 22 in the through-hole 21 stably.

That is, the ink layer 22 is protruded from the rear opening of thethrough-hole 21 by a predetermined height or is protruded from the rearopening by a predetermined height, and, at the same time, covers aparticularregion of the rear surface of the metal layer 231, it ispossible to prevent the ink layer 22 from being incompletely filled inthe through-holes 21. In addition, it can perform the function as theguide of light transmitted toward the through-hole 21 from thelight-emitting device.

Particularly, even when the inner circumferential surface or the rearsurface opening of the through-hole 21 is not smoothly etched in theetching process for forming the through-hole 21, since the ink layer 22can be over-filled, it is possible to prevent the quality of lighttransmittance from being degraded by the ink layer 22 which filling thethrough-hole 21 incompletely.

It is also possible to prevent the rear surface of the metal layer 231from being corroded by contacting with the air or the moisture, bycovering the rear surface of the metal layer 231 while filling thethrough-hole 21 with the ink layer.

It is preferable that the height 12 at which such ink layer 22 protrudesis at least 0.1 mm or less in order to prevent an excessive spacing frombeing generated from the display cover attached to the rear surface ofthe steel plate 23.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a displaycover and a display assembly in accordance with an exemplaryimplementation of the present invention are coupled, and FIGS. 17 to 19are the cross-sectional views showing the external member (the frontpanel) for home appliances, the display cover, and the display assemblyin accordance with various implementations of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 16, a display cover 200 is attached to thefront surface of the display assembly 300 on which the light-emittingdevice 313 is mounted. The display cover 200 and the display assembly300 may be firmly attached to each other via an adhesive member 221 suchas double-sided tape, etc. At this time, the spacing between the displaycover 200 and the display assembly 300 is 0.5 mm or less, preferably 0.3mm or less, and more preferably 0.1 mm or less, in order to preventlight emitted from the light-emitting device 313 through between thedisplay cover 200 and the display assembly.

Referring to FIG. 17, a film layer 235 to implement the color or thetexture of the front surface of the home appliance is attached to thefront surface of the metal layer 231. The metal layer 231 is providedwith the plurality of through-holes 21 at the predetermined regioncorresponding to the plurality of the light-emitting devices 313 mountedon the display assembly 300 positioned on the rear surface of the metallayer 231. The plurality of through-holes 21 is respectively filled withthe ink layer 22. The display assembly 300 is also provided with areflector 320 for structurally spacing apart the display assembly 300from the display cover 200 and the external member 20. The reflector 320may be formed of a light reflective material or at least the innercircumferential surface thereof may be coated with a light reflectivematerial to reflect light emitted in various directions from thelight-emitting device 313 such that light is not lost while reaching theguide hole 220 of the display hole 200. For this, the reflector 320corresponds to the mounting position of the light-emitting device 313,and includes am auxiliary through-hole which can communicate with theguide hole 220 of the display cover 200 and the through-hole 21 of theexternal member 20.

Between the metal layer 231 and the display assembly 300, the displaycover 200 of the plastic material is interposed, not only for preventingthe static electricity but also for securing a light path that canuniformly reach the plurality of through-holes 21 by diffusing lightemitted from the light-emitting device 313. The spacing of the metallayer 231 and the display cover 200, the display cover 200 and thedisplay assembly 300 may be 0.5 mm or less, preferably 0.3 mm or less,more preferably 0.1 or less in order to prevent light emitted from thelight-emitting device 313 from being leaked through between the metallayer 231 and the display cover 200, the display cover 200 and thedisplay assembly 300.

The display cover 200 is provided with a plurality of through-holes 21at the front surface and a guide hole 220 at a position corresponding tothe light-emitting device 313 at the rear surface. The guide hole 220serves to guide light emitted from the light-emitting device 313 mountedon the display assembly 300 to transmit the print layer 22 filled in theplurality of through-holes 21. [

At this time, the inner circumferential surface of the guide hole 220 iscoated with a reflective material and reflects light passing through theguide hole 220 in various directions, and it is possible to reduce theloss of the light.

Here, it is preferable to penetrate at least display cover 200vertically in order to reduce the loss of light passing through theguide hole 220. In addition, the width d5 of the front opening of theguide hole 220 is greater than the width d6 of the rear opening, therebypreventing light from being reflected unnecessarily or being lost at therear opening side.

Referring to FIG. 18, a light diffusion sheet 28 may be attached betweenthe metal layer 231 and the display cover 200. The light diffusing sheet28 diffuses light transmitted from the light-emitting device 313 anddisperses light passing through the through-hole 21 evenly so as toimprove the brightness of the displayed numbers, letters, figures, orthe symbols, etc. Further, by providing the light diffusion sheet 28, itis possible to provide a sufficient light diffusion effect even when thelight path is short, which is advantageous in that the thickness of thedisplay cover 200 can be made thinner. It is preferable that the lightdiffusion sheet 28 have the thickness of 0.5 mm or less in order toprevent light emitted from the light-emitting device 313 being leadedthrough between the metal layer 231 and the display cover 200.

Further, referring to FIG. 19, it is possible to have the structure toform the reflector 320 thicker than the example shown in FIGS. 17 and18, and to omit the display cover 200. The light path shortened byomitting the display cover 200 may be sufficiently compensated by thelight diffusion sheet 28.

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of an external member (the frontpanel) for home appliances in accordance with an exemplaryimplementation of the present invention.

The steel sheet 23 used in the external member shown in FIG. 20 may beprovided in a VCM type using a film layer to implement the color ortexture of the front appearance of the home appliance or a PCM typeusing the coating layer.

Hereinafter, an example of a VCM type steel plate will be described.

As described above, the external member 20 includes thelight-transmitting film layer 235 as well asimplementing the color orthe texture of the front face of the home appliance, and a steel plate23 covering the display assembly 300 which is attached to the rearsurface of the film layer 235 and attached with the plurality of thelight-emitting devices.

Here, the steel plate 23 may mean a molten galvanized steel sheet GI oran electro-galvanized steel sheet EGI itself, or mean a form includingthe pre-treatment layer 233 which is chemically washed (acid or basetreatment) or coating treated based on the metal layer 231 correspondingto the molten galvanized steel sheet GI or the electro-galvanized steelsheet EGI, a primer layer 234 as the adhesive layer, and the film layer235.

The film layer 235 to implement the color or texture of the frontsurface of the home appliance is attached to the front surface of theprimer layer 234 and the back coating layer for preventing thecontamination such as the corrosion of the metal layer 231 into the rearsurface of the metal layer 231 is formed. Here, the back coating layer232 forms the rear surface of the external element 20, and contacts withthe insulation material 24 filled inside the refrigerator door 10,thereby preventing the metal layer 231 from being contacted with themoisture or the air.

Accordingly, in order to form the through-hole 21 in the metal layer231, after exposing the rear surface of the metal layer 231 by removinga part of the back coating layer 232 formed on the rear surface of themetal layer 231, it is necessary to perform the etching at thepredetermined region.

Then, when the etching of the metal layer 231 is completed and thethrough-hole 21 is formed, the light transmitting ink layer 22 isprinted on the rear surface of the metal layer 231 on which thethrough-hole 21 is arranged, and thus, the empty space formed by thethrough-hole 21 is filled. The ink layer 22 prevents the contaminationof the inside surface of the through-hole 21 by preventing the insidesurface of the through-hole 21 from being contacted with the air or themoisture, and performs the function of supporting the film layer 235 ofshielding the front opening at the rear surface.

It is also possible for the ink layer 22 to simultaneously perform therole of the back coating layer 232 by printing in order to cover theregion from which the back coating layer 232 is removed from the rearsurface of the metal layer 231.

In accordance with an exemplary implementation of the present invention,the PVC-type and PVC-free type film layer 235 may be used for theexternal member 20 provided as the VCM type.

FIGS. 21 and 22 are the cross-sectional views of a film layer used in anexternal member (the front panel) for home appliances provided as theVCM type of FIG. 20.

FIG. 21 is a PVC-free type film layer 235 and has a structure which thefirst adhesive layer 235 a contacting the metal layer 231, orselectively the pre-treatment layer 233 or the primer layer 234, thecoating layer 235 b of determining the color of the front appearance ofthe home appliance, the thin metal film layer 235 d, and the patternlayer 235 f of determining the texture of the front appearance of thehome appliance are sequentially deposited or attached.

The film layer 235 optionally includes a primer layer 234 or an adhesivelayer 235 a and both layers serve to securely adhere the metal layer 231and the remaining layers of the film layer 235. As the first adhesivelayer 235 a, various heat or photo-curable resin based adhesive may beused.

The coating layer 235 b is a resin layer optionally including a coatingfor determining the color of the front surface of the home appliance.When the coating is not included, the color of the front surface of thehome appliance will be determined by the thin metal film layer 235 d.The film layer 235 may optionally include a thin metal film layer 235 d,and, when the thin metal film layer 235 d is included, the adhesivelayer 235 c, 235 e may be arranged between the coating layer 235 b andthe meal thin film 235 d, or the thin metal layer 235 d and the patternlayer 235 f, for the secure adhesion between the thin metal film layer235 d and the other layers.

In addition, when it is desired to impart a specific texture to thefront appearance of the home appliance, a pattern layer 235 f imprintedwith various patterns such as saffiano, a hairline, etc. may be attachedto the front surface of the thin metal film layer 235 d.

The pattern layer 235 f may be provided by imprinting the pattern on atleast one surface selected from the front and back surfaces of the PETfilm, and when the patterns are imprinted on both the front surface andthe back surface, the pattern which is identical to each other ordifferent from each other may be imprinted on the front and rearsurfaces.

For example, it is possible to imprint the saffiano pattern thatprovides a tactile sense such as a leather on the front surface andimprint the hairline pattern on the rear surface to implement a sense ofluxuriousness and aesthetic sensibility that can be provided throughvarious senses.

FIG. 22 is a PVC type film layer 235 and has a structure which a PVClayer 235 g in contact with the metal layer 231 or optionally thepre-treatment layer 233 or the primer layer 234, the thin metal filmlayer 235 d, and a pattern layer 235 f for determining the texture ofthe front appearance of the home appliance are sequentially deposited orattached.

The PVC layer 235 g may optionally include a coating to determine thecolor of the front appearance of the home appliance, and, when thecoating is not included, the color of the front appearance of the homeappliance may be determined by the metal film layer 235 d.

FIGS. 23 and 24 show a sequence of a method of manufacturing theexternal member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordance withan exemplary implementation of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 23 and 24, the external member including the steelplate 23, which the film layer 35 implementing the color or the textureof the front appearance of home appliance is attached to the frontsurface and the back coating layer 232 for preventing the contaminationsuch as the corrosion of the metal layer is attached to the rear surfaceis supplied by cutting it to a appropriate length S110.

The steel plate 23 can be pre-treated with an acidic or basic solutionfor removing the foreign substance of the surface and a planarization.

Subsequently, a particular part of the back coating layer 232 attachedto the rear surface of the steel sheet 23 (that is, a region where thethrough-hole 21 is to be formed) can be moved from the rear surface ofthe steel plate 23 via the laser irradiation using the laser irradiationdevice 2. Accordingly, the part which the back coating layer 32 isremoved of the rear surface of the steel plate 23 is existed in a statewith the metal layer 231 exposed S120.

The back coating layer 232 is then removed to laminate thephotosensitive resin 26 on the exposed metal layer 231 and the maskingfilm 27 having a plurality of holes patterned thereon is positioned onthe photosensitive resin 26 for the selective curing (S130, S140). Then,the ultraviolet is transmitted through the holes of the masking film toselectively cure the photosensitive resin 26 transmitted with theultraviolet.

After the curing of the photosensitive resin 26 is completed by anexposure, the masking film 27 is removed and the uncured photosensitiveresin is removed through a development processing (S150). Accordingly,the photosensitive resin 26 is existed with a cured state to have apredetermined pattern on the front surface of the metal layer exposed byremoving the back coating layer 232.

Also, the metal layer 231, which is existed with still exposed in theabsence of the photosensitive resin 26, corresponds to the positionwhere the through-hole 21 is formed (S150). After the development iscompleted, the heat treatment may be selectively performed to remove amicro bubble in the photosensitive resin 26, or improve the attachmentbetween the photosensitive 26 and the metal layer 231.

Subsequently, after the partial development of the photosensitive resin26, an etching liquid which is not reactive with the photosensitiveresin 26, the film layer 235, and the back coating layer 232 is sprayedto perform the etching with regard to the metal layer 231 which is notcovered by the photosensitive rein 26. As such etching liquid, ferricchloride (FeC13), etc. may be used.

That is, according to the present invention, the etching liquid such asthe ferric chloride can prevent the damage of the film layer 235attached to the front surface of the metal layer 231 by using theetching liquid such as the ferric chloride, etc. selectively reactingwith the metal layer 231 in the etching process of forming thethrough-hole on the metal layer 231.

For example, when the film layer 235 is a PVC-free type film layer, theprimer layer 234 and the first adhesive layer 235 a are formed of aresin composition that is not reactive with the etching liquid such asferric chloride, so that it can be prevented from being damaged by theetching liquid during the etching process of forming the through-hole inthe metal layer 231. Further, when the film layer 235 is a PVC type filmlayer, the primer layer 234 and the PVC layer 235 g is formed with theresin composition which is not reactive with the etching liquid such asferric chloride such that it is not damaged by the etching liquid in theetching process.

At this time, by adjusting the concentration of the etching liquid, theinjection rate of the etching liquid, or the exposure time for theetching liquid used for etching it is preferable that the width of thefront opening of the through-hole 21 penetrating the metal layer 231 isformed to be smaller than that of the rear opening . Alternatively, amask having a size smaller than that of the exposed metal layer 231 maybe attached and etched so that the width of the front opening of thethrough-hole 21 is formed to be smaller than that of the rear opening.

After the etching is completed, the process of removing thephotosensitive rein 26 from the metal layer 231, and printing the inklayer 22 to fill the empty space formed by the through-hole 21 isperformed.

At this time, according to the present invention, since the through-hole21 has a tapered shape or a stepped shape that narrows from the rearsurface to the front surface of at least steel sheet 23 or the metallayer 231, when the ink is dropped into the through-hole 21 through thescreen printing, it can be sufficiently filled from the front opening ofthe through-hole which contacts with the film layer 235 by a gravity.Particularly, in the case of the ink used for filling the through-hole21, since the ink has a predetermined viscosity, when the through-hole21 is vertically penetrated, the case which is not filled uniformly inthe empty space formed by the through-hole 21 may be generated when thethrough-hole is penetrated vertically. Therefore, as described above,the through-hole 21 has the benefit which can improve the fillingefficiency of the ink through the screen printing, by taking a stringshape.

As the ink used to form the ink layer 22, a thermal drying type printingink such as an acrylic resin based ink, etc. may be used.

Further, it is preferable that the ink used for forming the ink layer 22by the screen printing has a viscosity of 20,000 cps to 40,000 cps. Whenit is smaller than 20,000 cps of the ink used for the screen printing,there is a possibility that the ink may leak from the through-hole 21during the process because a sufficient viscosity of the ink isdifficult to be secured under a normal condition. Accordingly, when thesubsequent process is processed in a state which the ink leaks and thethrough-hole 21 is not sufficiently filled, there is the possibility ofgenerating the problem of the corrosion of the through-hole 21 or whichthe display quality of the light penetrating the through-hole 21.Meanwhile, when the viscosity of the ink used for the screen printing islarger than 40,000

, there is a possibility that the ink is not sufficiently filled insidethe through-hole in the fine size.

In addition, it is preferable that the ink used for the screen printingfurther includes 1 to 5% by weight of silica based on the weight of thetotal ink. There is a benefit that the silica has the appropriateviscosity, while imparting a light scattering effect when lightdispersed evenly in the ink layer 22 filled in the through-hole 21passes through the ink layer 22, thereby further increasing thebrightness of light discharged through the through-hole 21.

The ink is filled from the front opening part of the through-hole 21which contacts with the film layer 235 through the screen printing usingthe ink so that the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 21is prevented from being corroded by contacting with the air or themoisture, and the foreign substance can be prevented from entering theempty space formed by the through-hole 21. The film layer 235 whichshields the front opening of the through-hole 21 by the ink layer 22filled in the through-hole 21 can be supported from the rear.

Further, it is preferable that the ink layer 22 is printed to completelyfilling the through-hole 21 and simultaneously cover a particular part(that is, the region removed with the back coating layer 232) of therear surface of the metal layer 231. Accordingly, it is possible toprevent the display quality of light passing through the through-hole 21from being degraded since the ink is not sufficiently filled in thethrough-hole 21. In addition, by functioning as the back coating layer232 removed with the ink layer 22, the rear surface of the exposed metallayer 231 can be prevented from being in contact with the air or themoisture and being corroded.

FIGS. 25 to 27 show the steps of printing the ink layer on through-holesformed in a steel sheet.

Referring to FIGS. 25 to 27, the steel plate 23 formed with thethrough-hole 21 is in a state in which the front opening of thethrough-hole 21 is shielded by the film layer 235, and the rear openingis in the open state so that the ink for forming the ink layer 22through the rear opening can be received.

At this time, it is preferable that the screen printing is performedafter preheating the formed steel plate 23 of the through-hole 21, priorto the screen printing S171, S172. When the steel plate is preheated toa predetermined temperature, the surface energy of the metal layer 231is reduced to reduce the surface tension of the ink to be printed, sothat the ink can be sufficiently filled from the front opening of thethrough-hole 21. In addition, when the ink is printed with the metallayer 231 preheated to a predetermined temperature, the viscosity of theink temporarily decreases to improve the fluidity of the ink on thesurface of the metal layer 231 and in the through-hole 21.

After the screen printing is completed, when the thermal drying isperformed, the viscosity of the ink is recovered again to decrease thefluidity, consequently forming the ink layer 22 which is stably cured.

Referring to FIG. 27, it can be found more in detail that the screenprinting is performed from the rear surface of the steel plate 23 formedwith the through-hole 21.

The preheated steel plate 23 is arranged such that the film layer 235faces downward, so that the rear opening of the through-hole 21 facesupward. Then, the ink is filled in the through-holes 21 by letting theink flow down through the mesh in a state where the through-holes 21 areall positioned under the mesh of the plate 51.

In addition, the ink layer 22 formed by the screen printing is filledwith the through-hole 21 and the ink layer 22 may be further formedwhich is protruded from the rear opening by a predetermined height orhas the predetermined thickness at the rear surface of the steel plate2. At this time, the thickness of the ink layer 22 protruding from therear surface of the steel sheet 23 is preferably such that light doesnot leak in the lateral direction through the ink layer 22.

FIG. 28 is an enlarged view showing the relationship between the mesh ofthe plate used in printing the ink layer and the through-holes formed inthe steel plate.

Unlike the screen printing for printing a pattern, the plate 51 used forthe screen printing is important to fill the ink in the through-hole 21,and thus, it is preferable to use the plate 51 having 45° string anglesuch that the number of the mesh about one through-hole 21 can befurther formed compared to the general screen plate.

Referring to FIG. 28, the mesh 55 formed on the plate 51 has the stringangle of 45°, and can effectively fill the ink inside the through-hole21 compared to the general screen printing by arranging total 13 roomsmeshes 55 in one through-hole 21.

In addition, the plate 51 is seated to be adjacent to the rear surfaceof the steel plate 23 within about 5 mm, such that the plate 51 isprevented from being moving upward in the screen painting. Accordingly,by minimizing the gap spaced apart from the rear surface of the steelplate 23 in the screen printing, it is possible to uniformly fill theink inside the through-hole 21.

The squeeze 52 may be provided for filling into the through-hole 21 bythe physical force on the upper part of the plate 51 in the screenprinting. In a static supplied with the ink in the plate 51, the squeeze52 moves by pressing the plate 51, and accordingly, the ink passesthrough the mesh 55 of the plate 51 and filled into the through-hole 21.At this time, the end 53 of the squeeze 52 contacting with the plate 51,and the dropped amount of the ink through the mesh 55 of the plate 51,thereby improving the efficiency of the screen printing inside thethrough-hole 21.

In addition, the squeeze 52 may further include a support member 54. Thesupport member 54 is attached to one side of the squeeze 52 and has ashape extending along the longitudinal direction of the squeeze 52. Thesupport member 54 serves to support the squeeze 52 to prevent thedeformation that may occur when the squeeze 52 of the elastic materialis moved at the top of the plate 51 in a state of applying the physicalforce, thereby preventing the reliability and reproducibility of thescreen printing from being degraded. Further, the support member 54 maybe inserted inside the squeeze 52 as necessary, or may be provided inother material or shape other than the high strength steel plate.

Additionally, after printing the ink layer 22 on the rear surface of thesteel plate 23, an additional printing layer can be formed along theperiphery of the ink layer 22 such that the additional printing layerdoes not transmit light. Thus, the additional printing layer preventslight from leaking to other region other than the ink layer 22.

FIGS. 29 and 30 show the sequence of the method of manufacturing theexterior member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordance withanother implementation of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 29 and 30, unlike the sequence shown in FIGS. 23 and24, when removing the back coating layer 232 from the rear surface ofthe steel plate 23, the back coating layer 232 is removed with the sizecorresponding to one through-hole 21, and thus, it does not need theadditional layer such as the laminating, the exposure, and thedevelopment of the photosensitive resin.

The back coating layer 232 can be removed to a size corresponding to onethrough-hole 21 through the hole marking using the laser irradiationdevice 2 and it is preferable that the diameter or width of the holeformed in the back coating layer 232 by the hole marking coincides withthose of the rear opening of the through-hole 21 (S220).

Accordingly, when a back order etching process is performed, the metallayer 231 is etched through the hole formed in the back coating layer232, and the size of the rear opening of the through-hole 21 formed inthe metal layer 231 almost coincides with that of the hole formed in theback coating layer 232.

The light transmitting ink layer 22 is then formed which fills thethrough-hole 21 through the screen printing, and at this time, the inklayer 22 is printed to be protruded from the rear opening by apredetermined height. Preferably, the thickness of the layer ink 22protruded from the rear opening of the through-hole 21 is formed toalmost coincide with that of the back coating layer 232, such that it ispossible to decrease the stepped part of the rear surface of the steelplate 23.

FIG. 31 is an exploded perspective view of the air conditioner used withthe external member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordancewith one implementation of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 31, the overall appearance of the indoor unit 60 ofthe air conditioner is formed by a case. The case includes a base 61, arear cabinet arranged on the upper side of the rear part of the base 61and a front cabinet 63 arranged on the upper part of the front part ofthe base 61, and the external member 64 may be arranged on the frontsurface of the front cabinet 63.

The base 61, the rear cabinet 62, and the front cabinet 63 are coupledto each other to form a predetermined space therein. A blowing fan and aflow path for intake and discharge of the air are provided, and a filterassembly for filtering the intake air, a heat exchanger for heatexchange of the intake air, and a configuration for driving therefrigeration cycle are accommodated. In addition, the base 61, the rearcabinet 62, and the front cabinet 63 are provided with a plurality of anintake which the external air is intaken, and the discharge part ofdischarging the heat exchanged air.

The external member 64 is installed to the front cabinet 63. The frontsurface of the front cabinet 63 can be opened by pivoting or detachingthe external member 64 or the configuration installed with the externalmember 64, and it is configured such that the operation and themaintenance of the configuration provided in the inside and outside ofthe front cabinet 63 are possible. In addition, the external member 64is a part of constructing the appearance of the indoor unit 60 and canbe installed on one side of the case.

The external member 64 may be formed with a display part 65 fordisplaying the operating state of the air conditioner. The display part65 may be formed as a unit set of fine through-holes as in theabove-described implementations.

The through-holes are configured in the same manner as theimplementation related to the above-described refrigerator, and can beformed in the same method. If necessary, a touch operation part 66 maybe formed on one side of the display part 65 by printing or surfaceprocessing.

A display assembly 67 is provided on the rear of the display unit 65 andthe light-emitting device mounted on the display assembly 67 provideslight to the display part 65 to display operation information of the airconditioner. The display assembly 67 includes a combination of thelight-emitting devices to display operational information in the form ofnumbers, letters, figures or symbols.

Like the implementations related to the refrigerator, when thelight-emitting device of the display assembly 67 is turned on, operationinformation is displayed at the front surface of the external member 64by light passing through the through-hole, but, when the light-emittingdevice is turned off, the through-hole is shielded by the film layer ofthe external member 64, and thus, the existences of the through-hole aswell as the display part are not observed visually.

The touch sensor assembly 500 may be attached to the rear surface of theexternal member 64 corresponding to the touch operation part 66. Thetouch sensor assembly 500 is adhered by an adhesive such as an adhesiveor a double-sided tape, and the touch sensor assembly 500 closelycontacts the touch operation part 66 to recognize a touch operation ofthe user.

FIG. 32 is an exploded perspective view of a washing machine used withan external member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordancewith an exemplary implementation of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 32, the washing machine 70 includes a washing machinemain body 71 of forming the appearance, a tub stored with the washingwater, a drum rotatably arranged inside the tub and a laundry isreceived, a drive device of transferring a rotational force for therotation of the dram, the washing water supplying device of supplyingthe washing water to said tub, and a discharging device for dischargingthe washing water.

A particular part of the front surface of the washing machine main body71 is opened and formed such that the laundry is put into the drum, andthe opening of the laundry body 71 can open and close by the door 72.For this, the door 72 is rotatably installed on the main body.

The external member 73 may be provided on the front and upper surfacesof the washing machine main body 71 except the door 72. In addition, thedisplay part 74 and the touch operation part 75 may be formed on atleast a part of the external member 73.

The display part 74 displays the operating state of the washing machine70 and may be formed as a unit set of fine through-holes as describedabove. The through-holes are configured in the same manner as theimplementations related to the above-described refrigerator, and can beformed in the same manner. The touch operation part 75 is provided tooperate the washing machine 70 by the touch operation of the user andmay be provided with a dial type knob 76 for operating the washingmachine 70.

The display assembly 77 is provided on the rear part of the display unit74 and the light-emitting device mounted on the display assembly 77provides light to the display window 74 to display operation informationof the washing machine 70. The display assembly 77 includes acombination of the light-emitting devices to display operationalinformation in the form of numbers, letters, figures or symbols.

Like the refrigerator, when the light-emitting device of the displayassembly 77 is turned on, operation information is displayed to thefront surface of the external member 73 by light passing through thethrough-holes; but, when the light-emitting device is turned off, thethrough-holes are shielded by the film layer of the external member 73,and thus, the existences of the display part as well as the through-holeare not observed visually.

The touch sensor assembly 500 may be attached to the rear surface of theexternal member 73 corresponding to the touch operation part 75. Thetouch sensor assembly 500 is adhered by the adhesive such as theadhesive or the double-sided tape, and the touch sensor assembly 500closely contacts the touch operation part 75 to recognize a touchoperation of the user.

FIG. 33 is an exploded perspective view of a dish washer used with theexternal member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordance withan exemplary implementation of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 33, the appearance of the dish washer 80 provided withthe touch sensor assembly 500 in accordance with an exemplaryimplementation of the present invention is formed by the dish washermain body 81 formed in approximately rectangular parallelepiped shapeand the shape thereof is not limited.

The dish washer 80 includes a main body 81, a cavity in which dishes arereceived inside the main body 81 for washing, a rack member that isinput/output from the cavity and the dishes are seated, a water supplydevice for supplying the water into inside the cavity for washing, and adischarge device for discharging the washed water.

The main body 81 is provided with a door 82, the door 82 selectivelyshields the opened front surface of the main body 81, and forms thefront appearance of the dish washer 80 in a state where the door 82 isclosed.

The door 82 includes an upper door and a lower door, and can be formedto have a structure in which the upper door can be opened and closedwith communicated when the lower door is operated. Further, the lowerdoor may be provided with a handle 83 for opening and closing the door82.

The front surface of the door 82, that is, the front surface of theupper door and the lower door may be attached with the external member87 of forming the appearance and the external member 84 forms the upperand lower parts door itself. The external member 84 forms at least partof the front surface of the door 82 and the external member 84 isprovided with the display part 85 for displaying the operation sate ofthe dish washer 80.

The display part 85 may be formed as a set of the fine through-holes asin the above-mentioned implementation and the through-holes areconfigured in the same method as the implementation related to therefrigerator described above, and may be formed in the same method.

The display assembly 87 is provided on the rear part of the display unit85 and light is transmitted to the display part 85 by the light-emittingdevice mounted on the display assembly 87, thereby displaying operationinformation of the dish washer 80. The display assembly 87 includes acombination of a plurality of light-emitting devices and is displayed inthe form of numbers, letters, figures or symbols.

Like the implementation related to the refrigerator, when thelight-emitting device of the display assembly 87 is turned on, operationinformation is displayed on the front surface of the external member 84by light passing through the through-holes; however, when thelight-emitting device turn off, the through-holes are shielded by thefilm layer of the external member 84, and thus, the existences of thedisplay part as well as the through-hole are not observed visually.

A touch operation part 86 can be formed on one side of the display part85 by the printing or the surface processing. In addition, the touchsensor assembly 500 may be attached to the rear surface of the externalmember 84 corresponding to the touch operation unit 86. The touch sensorassembly 500 is adhered by an adhesive member such as an adhesive or adouble-sided tape, and the touch sensor assembly is closely attached tothe touch operation unit to recognize the touch operation of the user.

FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of a cooking appliance used withthe external member (the front panel) for home appliances in accordancewith an exemplary implementation of the present invention. Here, thecooking appliance may be an oven, a microwave oven, etc.

Referring to FIG. 34, the outer shape of the cooking device 90 providedwith the touch sensor assembly 500 is formed by the cooking device mainbody 91 formed in a approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape, butthe shape thereof is not limited.

The cooking appliance 90 includes a main body 91, a cavity which food isreceived for cooking inside the main body 91, the heating means or amagnetron for cooking the food inside the cavity, and a fan assembly forconvection inside the cavity.

The main body 91 is provided with a door 92, the door 92 selectivelyshields the opened front surface of the main body 91, and forms thefront appearance of the cooking appliance 90 in a state in which thedoor 92 is closed.

The door 92 is coupled to the main body 91 using a hinge and isrotatable, and is rotated in the left-right direction or the up-downdirection to selectively open and close the opened front surface of thecooking appliance 90. In addition, the door 92 is provided with a handle93 for opening and closing operations of the door.

The front surface of the door 92 may be provided with the externalmember 94 which forms the front appearance of the door 92. The externalmember 94 is not necessarily limited to the door 92 and may form oneside of the cooking appliance main body 91.

The external member 94 may be provided with the display part 95 fordisplaying the operating state of the cooking appliance 90. The displaypart 95 may be formed as a set of the fine through-holes as in theabove-mentioned implementation. The through-holes are configured in thesame manner as the implementation related to the above-describedrefrigerator, and can be formed in the same method.

A display assembly 97 is provided on the rear part of the display unit95 and operational information of the cooking appliance 90 may bedisplayed by irradiation light into the display window 95 by thelight-emitting device mounted on the display assembly 97. The displayassembly 97 includes a combination of light-emitting devices anddisplays information in the form of numbers, letters, figures orsymbols.

Like the implementation related to the refrigerator, when thelight-emitting device of the display assembly 97 is turned on, operatinginformation is displayed on the front surface of the external member 94by light passing through the through-holes; however, when thelight-emitting device is turned off, the through-holes are shielded bythe film layer by the external member 94, and thus, the existences ofthe display part as well as the through-role are not observed visually.

In addition, a touch operation part 96 can be formed on one side of thedisplay part 95 by the printing or the surface processing. The touchsensor assembly 500 may be attached to the rear surface of the externalmember 94 corresponding to the touch operation part 96. The touch sensorassembly 500 is adhered by the adhesive such as the adhesive or thedouble-sided tape, and the touch sensor assembly 500 closely contactsthe touch operation part 96 to recognize the touch operation of theuser.

As described above, while the present invention has been described withreference to exemplary drawings thereof, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited by the exemplary implementations and thedrawings disclosed in the specification, and it is obvious that manyvariations can be made by a person skilled in the art within the rangeof the technical idea of the present invention. In addition, althoughthe working effect according to the configuration of the presetinvention is not explained by explicitly describing it while explainingthe above implementations of the present invention hereinabove, it isnatural that the effect which is predictable by the correspondingconfiguration has to be also acknowledged.

What is claimed is:
 1. An external member for a home appliance, theexternal member comprising: a film layer that defines a color or atexture of an external appearance of the home appliance; and a metallayer that is coupled to a rear surface of the film layer and thatcovers a display assembly including a plurality of light-emittingdevices, wherein the metal layer comprises: a plurality of through-holesthat penetrate the metal layer at respective predetermined regionscorresponding to the plurality of light-emitting devices, wherein, foreach of the plurality of through-holes, a width of a front opening ofthe through-hole adjacent to the front surface of the metal layer issmaller than a width of a rear opening of the through-hole adjacent tothe rear surface of the metal layer, and a light-transmitting ink layerthat fills each of the plurality of the through-holes, wherein, in astate in which the light-emitting device is turned on to displayoperation information on the front surface of the home appliance, lightemitted from the light-emitting device is transmitted through (i) theink layer filling each of the plurality of the through-holes and (ii)the film layer, and wherein, in a state in which the light-emittingdevice is turned off, the film layer is configured to block the frontopening of each of the plurality of the through-holes to an outside ofthe home appliance.
 2. The external member of claim 1, wherein across-section of a through-hole of the plurality of through-holes has atapered shape, and wherein a width of the through-hole adjacent to thefront surface of the metal layer is narrower than a width of thethrough-hole adjacent to the rear surface of the metal layer.
 3. Theexternal member of claim 1, wherein the cross-section of thethrough-hole of the plurality of through-holes has a stepped shape, andwherein a width of the through-hole adjacent to the front surface of themetal layer is narrower than a width of the through-hole adjacent to therear surface of the metal layer.
 4. The external member of claim 1,wherein rear openings of two adjacent through-holes of the plurality ofthrough-holes are spaced between 0.05 mm and 0.5 mm.
 5. The externalmember of claim 1, wherein front openings of two adjacent through-holesof the plurality of through-holes are spaced between 0.3 mm and 1.0 mm.6. The external member of claim 1, wherein the ink layer is protrudedfrom the rear opening of the through-hole.
 7. The external member ofclaim 1, wherein the ink layer is further configured to cover, in part,the rear surface of the metal layer.
 8. The external member of claim 1,wherein the film layer comprises: a primer layer that is coupled to thefront surface of the metal layer, and a coating layer that is coupled toa front surface of the primer layer.
 9. The external member of claim 1,wherein the film layer further comprises: a thin metal film layer thatis coupled to a front surface of the coating layer, and a pattern layerthat has an imprinting pattern on either a front surface of the patternlayer or a rear surface of the pattern layer.
 10. The external member ofclaim 1, wherein the ink layer comprises silica.
 11. The external memberof claim 1, further comprising a display cover that is coupled to therear surface of the metal layer and that is configured to accommodatethe display assembly, wherein the display cover includes a plurality ofguide holes through which light emitted from the light-emitting deviceof the display assembly passes, the plurality of guide holescorresponding to the plurality of through-holes respectively.
 12. Theexternal member of claim 11, further comprising a light diffusion sheetthat is located between the rear surface of the metal layer and thedisplay cover.
 13. The external member of claim 11, wherein a guide holeof the plurality of guide holes is configured to guide light from thelight-emitting device to two or more through-holes of the plurality ofthrough-holes.
 14. The external member of claim 11, wherein a width of afront opening of the guide hole is larger than a width of a rear openingof the guide hole, and wherein the front opening is located adjacent toa front surface of the display cover and the rear opening is locatedadjacent to a rear surface of the display cover.
 15. A method formanufacturing an external member for a home appliance, the methodcomprising: providing (i) a film layer that defines a color or a textureof the home appliance and (ii) a metal layer that is coupled to a rearsurface of the film layer; laminating a photosensitive resin on a rearsurface of the metal layer; positioning a masking film including aplurality of holes on a rear surface of the photosensitive resin; afterpositioning the masking film, curing the photosensitive resin byirradiating ultraviolet through the plurality of holes of the maskingfilm; removing the masking film and an uncured portion of thephotosensitive resin; forming a plurality of through-holes by sprayingan etching liquid onto the rear surface of the metal layer, wherein, foreach of the plurality of through-holes, a width of a front opening ofthe through-hole adjacent to the front surface of the metal layer issmaller than a width of a rear opening of the through-hole adjacent tothe rear surface of the metal layer; and injecting, into the pluralityof through-holes, an ink layer that is configured to transmit light. 16.The method of claim 15, further comprising: etching the metal layer suchthat a cross-section of a through hole of the plurality of through-holeshas a tapered shape, wherein a width of the through-hole adjacent to thefront surface of the metal layer is narrower than a width of thethrough-hole adjacent to the rear surface of the metal layer.
 17. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising: etching the metal layer suchthat a cross-section of a through-hole of the plurality of through-holeshas a stepped shape, wherein a width of the through-hole adjacent to thefront surface of the metal layer is narrower than a width of thethrough-hole adjacent to the rear surface of the metal layer.
 18. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising: screen-printing an ink on a rearsurface of the metal layer such that the ink forms the ink layer. 19.The method of claim 18, wherein the ink layer is printed to be protrudedfrom the rear opening of the through-hole.
 20. The method of claim 18,wherein the ink layer is further configured to cover, in part, the rearsurface of the metal layer.
 21. The method of claim 18, wherein the inklayer comprises silica.